Various tools for crimping tubular connector elements or "sleeves" and tubular terminal elements onto wires and the like are known. Typically, such tools have two or more jaws or comparable members coupled together in some way for movement with respect to one another. The members define a crimp nest in which the tubular element is received and crimped.
Crimping tools may generally be characterized as being either of two types: symmetric or indent.
A symmetric crimp tool typically has a set of jaws configured to provide a crimp nest which is at least generally symmetric, for example circular, square, hexagonal, etc. Interchangeable dies or, in at least one instance, a pair of rotating dies are sometimes provided in symmetric crimp tools to vary the crimping surfaces so as to define crimp nests of varying sizes. While specific manufacturers typically offer crimpable tubular elements in standard sizes, these sizes vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. Unless a sufficiently large number of different rotatable or interchangeable dies or different crimping surfaces are provided to incrementally vary the crimp nest size, some overcrimping or undercrimping may occur, depending upon tubular element/wire combinations being crimped. Tools with rotatable dies can provide only a limited number of discrete crimp nest sizes. While theoretically an endless number of crimp nest sizes can be provided with interchangeable dies, there is a manufacturing cost associated with providing each additional die.
Indentor-type crimping tools are characterized as having one or more generally convex crimping surfaces (indentor surfaces) which form a concavity at some point in the crimp. One advantage typically shared by indentor-type tools is that the one or at least one of the convex or indentor surfaces provided on a member is adjustably mounted to vary the degree of indentation thereby effectively varying crimp nest size. One problem which is associated with such tools is that the pressure generated by the tool is concentrated at the peak of each convex indentor surface. This may overstress the tubular element being crimped, causing the element to fracture or tear. Another problem which some users perceive is that the crimp produced by such tools may be weaker than symmetric crimps.